Without Samuelson, UConn edges USF to close out regular season

By Doug Bonjour

Updated
12:19 pm EST, Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Connecticut's Olivia Nelson-Ododa (20) shoots under pressure from South Florida's Shae Leverett (21) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game Monday, March 4, 2019,in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Connecticut's Olivia Nelson-Ododa (20) shoots under pressure from South Florida's Shae Leverett (21) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game Monday, March 4, 2019,in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Connecticut's Olivia Nelson-Ododa (20) shoots under pressure from South Florida's Shae Leverett (21) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game Monday, March 4, 2019,in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Connecticut's Olivia Nelson-Ododa (20) shoots under pressure from South Florida's Shae Leverett (21) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game Monday, March 4, 2019,in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)

Ultimately, though, UConn mustered just enough plays to keep its American Athletic Conference unbeaten streak intact. The Huskies closed out their regular season with an ugly 57-47 victory over South Florida at the Yuengling Center before a crowd of 5,614.

“We had a bad, as bad as we’ve had this season … first half,” guard Crystal Dangerfield said. “Our second half, we turned around.”

The Huskies slogged their way through the better part of 40 minutes without Samuelson, who was held out after leaving Saturday’s win over Houston with back spasms. They shot only 37 percent and matched their lowest point total of the season.

Thanks to a game-ending 9-0 run, though, they’ll head into the AAC Tournament at 28-2, including 16-0 in conference play. Winners of 117 straight AAC games, the top-seeded Huskies will face the winner of No. 8 ECU and No. 9 SMU in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.

“We need to make sure that the first half never happens again,” said forward Napheesa Collier, who finished with 16 points. “It’s too late in the season for us to be playing like that. It was embarrassing the way that we came out that first half.”

Dangerfield — one of three Huskies to play every minute — recorded a team-high 17 points and nine assists. Enna Pehadzic led USF with 15 points.

“For her to have to play that whole 40 minutes, especially that 20 minutes in the second half, I thought she had a gutsy game today,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said of his point guard.

With USF (16-14, 7-9) leading by a point late in the third quarter, it was Dangerfield’s 3-pointer that put the Huskies up for good heading into the fourth at 45-43.

“Down the stretch we just struggled to make some plays,” USF coach Jose Fernandez said. “They’ve got some guys on their team with some experience and they made them.”

One of those players watched the entire game from the bench. Samuelson, who’s averaging 18.9 points on 45 percent shooting, missed her first game of the season after sitting out practice on Sunday. Auriemma said Samuelson is day-to-day.

“She was better today than yesterday,” Auriemma said. “We’ll see the next couple days. When you’ve got back issues, I don’t think it’s anything trivial no matter what they say.

“Minor spasms or whatever, I don’t care. I’m a little leery when people start talking about backs. It affects so much of everything else.”

The Huskies shot only 32 percent (including 1-of-7 from 3) in the first half and trailed by as many as nine points. USF led 29-25 at the break.

“There was just no movement and they were getting every shot, every offensive rebound that they wanted,” Dangerfield said.

Christyn Williams scored 10 points for UConn, including eight in the fourth quarter.

Part of the plan: The game began with USF senior Laura Ferreira scoring an uncontested layup. It was reminiscent of the arranged basket that Nykesha Sales scored against Villanova in 1998 to break Kerry Bascom’s scoring record at UConn.

Ferreira, a preseason second-team All-AAC selection, has been out since Jan. 5 with a heart-rhythm disorder.

“The poor kid, that’s something you shouldn’t have to deal with — anybody,” Auriemma said. “Jose called me (Sunday) and said, ‘Hey, I want to do something nice for the kid.’ I said, ‘Sure, we’ll figure something out.’ The kid was really choked up about it.”

Added Fernandez: “That could be the last time she steps on a basketball court. For her to walk off (like that), it meant a lot to our team to our staff and to our fans.”

USF returned the favor on the scoreboard by allowing Dangerfield to score on UConn’s first possession.

“It was special,” Dangerfield said of Ferreira’s basket. “I think I’ve only played against her for two years but seeing that we have that much respect for their program and them wanting to do it, it’s great. My heart goes out to her.”

The big picture: UConn was seeded No. 1 in the Albany (N.Y.) Regional in the second Top-16 NCAA reveal, which was released at halftime. Mississippi State, Oregon State and Miami were seeded second through fourth, respectively, in the Huskies’ bracket.

Baylor was the overall No. 1 seed, while Louisville and Notre Dame were also placed atop their respective regions.

Among the best: Collier and Samuelson were among 10 players named semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy. UConn was the only school with multiple representatives on the list.

The four finalists will be announced March 22, with the winner revealed April 6.